San Diego-based shipbuilder General Dynamics NASSCO has begun construction of the sixth vessel for the U.S. Navy’s John Lewis-class fleet oiler program, the company announced March 27. Production Support Specialist II Gwen Phillips, who has been part of the NASSCO team for 34 years, ceremoniously handled the first cut of steel that will be used to build the future USNS Sojourner Truth (T-AO 210). The 742-foot-long vessel is part of NASSCO’s 2016 contract to design and construct the first six ships for the U.S. Navy for a new generation of fleet oilers, the John Lewis-class. In 2022, the Navy awarded…